Smith: Humble Knoop getting call to Angels hall

Angels infielder Bobby Knoop is shown in Palm Springs during spring training in March 1968, before what would be his final full season with the Angels. GEORGE BRICH, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The awards have never meant as much to Bobby Knoop as the experiences he went through to earn them.

The former All-Star second baseman, whom the Angels will induct into their Hall of Fame before Thursday night’s game, won Gold Gloves in 1966, 1967 and 1968 as the lunging and diving defensive vacuum sweeper with the dirtiest uniform.

He still possesses the 1968 gold-gilded glove trophy, which sits in the office of his Phoenix home, “doing nothing but collecting dust,” he said. So, he gave the other two away.

One, Knoop traded to a memorabilia collector, and a few years ago he learned it was resold on the Internet. The other he gave to a friend. They’re “material-type things and honors” but far less significant than the memories he cherishes from those seasons when the Angels, an expansion team born in 1961, were in their infancy.

“I don’t think too much about the past. I don’t dwell on it,” Knoop, 74, said from Phoenix, feeling a bit anxious about returning to Angel Stadium to be in the spotlight.

He’s a very humble and kind man, uncomfortable with being labeled “legendary” or “an Angels great,” because he was just doing his job the best way he knew how.

He played nine major league seasons, his first five-plus with the Angels (1964-69), who voted him the club MVP four times, an honor equaled only by All-Star slugger Garret Anderson.

Knoop was traded to the Chicago White Sox (1969-1970) for Sandy Alomar and Bob Priddy in May 1969. He finished his career with the Kansas City Royals (1971-72), having played in 1,153 games, batted .236 with 56 home runs and 331 RBI, and with a fielding percentage of .980.

His time with the Angels was “very special” because it was not only the beginning of his career but also of Gene Autry’s franchise, which was trying to make its mark in Southern California.

Signed as an amateur free agent out of Montebello High in 1956 by the Milwaukee Braves, the Iowa-born Knoop spent eight years in the minors before the Angels selected him in the 1963 Rule 5 draft.

In 1964 he became the Angels’ starting second baseman, playing 162 games as a quiet, reserved rookie and anchoring the middle infield with loquacious shortstop Jim Fregosi.

“You know what they say about how opposites attract, right?” said Knoop about his lifelong friendship with Fregosi. “Our relationship was because I played second base and he played shortstop, and (Manager) Bill Rigney got in the ear of the traveling secretary to make sure we were roommates on the road back in the day when players shared rooms.”

Fregosi and Knoop, who became one of the best double-play tandems in baseball, still speak about once a month. Fregosi, now special assistant to the general manager with the Atlanta Braves and a 1989 Angels Hall of Fame inductee, will fly in for Thursday’s ceremony, which begins at 6:55 p.m.

Angels Hall of Famers Rod Carew, Chuck Finley, Bobby Grich and Brian Downing are also scheduled to attend. Also being recognized will be Susan Weiss, who has been an Angels’ ticket office employee for 50 years, and John Moynihan, 80, who has served the club in various roles since its inaugural season.

“Back when ballplayers didn’t make a lot of money and had to get offseason jobs, I remember seeing Bobby working the iron truck on a three-man crew for Sears Roebuck,” recalled Moynihan, who then also worked as a driver for UPS.

Angels infielder Bobby Knoop is shown in Palm Springs during spring training in March 1968, before what would be his final full season with the Angels. GEORGE BRICH, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Angels second baseman Bobby Knoop turns a double play during a game in 1966. He went on to win the first of his three Gold Gloves that season. COURTESY LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Bobby Knoop, 74, is still affiliated with the Angels as a special assignment coach. COURTESY LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Bobby Knoop won three Gold Gloves and was voted team MVP four times during his six seasons with the Angels. COURTESY LOS ANGELES ANGELS

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